Gate-latch



(No Model.)

O .LBURTONQ GATE LATCH.

Patented July 16, 1895.

@MMM A .ilnirnn' States OTTO ALEXANDER BURTON, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

PATENT @man GATE-LATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Batent No. 542,753, dated July 16, 1895.

l Application filed `October 2,1894. Serial No. 524,740. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, OTTO ALEXANDER BUR- TON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gate-Latches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention., such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has relation to gate-latches; and it consists in certain peculiarities in the construction, arrangement, and combinations of the several parts, substantially as hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the subjoined claims.

The object of my invention is to provide a durable and practical latch so constructed that its latching parts will unfailingly be so engaged automatically as to hold the gate shut when brought into latching position by the closing of the gate. This object is accomplished by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fgure l is afront view of agate and gatepost provided with my improved latch. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same with part of the gate and post in section.

The same letters and numerals of reference designate the same parts in both figures.

A and B designate the vertical end strip of the gate and the gate-post, respectively.

The latch proper O is bent to provide the outer part l, which extends along the outer face of the strip A, the transverse part 2, and the inner end part 3, said end part being suitably secured to the inner face of saidV strip. Said part 2 constitutes a spring, which enables `the latch to be drawn in a horizontal plane (as indicated by arrow 0c) to a place outside the keeper D and to return to its normal position when such drawing force is released, and also to yield to the force exerted upon it by the rigid keeper in closing the gate.

The keeper D is L-shaped (or is formed with an L-shaped opening) and preferably is set into a recess b in the post, so as to be flush with the surface thereof, and the part 2 of the latch also is preferably received, partly by said recess b and partly by a recess ct in the strip A, whereby the gate and post may be set closely together.

In order to open a gate provided with my improved latch the latch proper is pulled horizontally, so as to bring its angle c outside the keeper and post,4while in closing the gate the inherent elasticity of the part 2 of the latch causes it to yield to the keeper and to -spring into the position shown in Fig. 2 when the gate has been completely shut, as above indicated. Obviously this construction of latch causes it unfailingly to so engage the keeper as to retain the gate in closed position when said latch is brought to latching position by the closing of the gate, and itthereby overcomes the disadvantage incident to gravitating latches, which latter, from various wellknown causes, frequently fail to drop automati'cally into latching engagement with the keeper. I

To the end that the latch may be operated from the. outer or inner side of the gate with equal facility I have provided its outer free end with a suitable handle E to be used in opening it from the outside, and also with a horizontal lever F, pivoted atits forward end to the latch and fulcrumed at F', intended 'foruse when it is desired to unlatch the gate from the inner side thereof. The casting G, upon which said lever is fulcrumed, is pref` erably formed with an extension G', which serves as a gripping-piece, toward which the lever ispressed in unlatching the gate from the inside; but, if desired, the free end of said lever may be bent to form a suitable handle, which will enable it to be operated Without requiring or making desirable the use of the gripping-piece above described.

The part 2 of the latch is preferably made gradually broader and thinner from its junction with the partl to its inner end, the former to give it thetnecessary strength and the latter to give it the necessary elasticity to make it most practical and useful for the purpose intended to be subserved by it.

angles with each otherone of said arms be? ing thinner and narrower than the other to give the latch resilience, and the free end of IOO Y the thicker arm of the latch having an intespring-latch, the angle of which is designed to engage said keeper, of a handle for operating the latch'from one side of the gate, a horizontal lever for operating the latch from the other side of the gate, said lever being pivoted to said latch, and a casting upon which said lever is fulcrumed, said casting having a gripping piece, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

OTTO ALEXANDER BURTON.

1 Witnesses:

J. C. REYNOLDS, HENRY R. POWERS. 

